


Little Lady Layton

by DayDragon



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Family Feels, Family Fluff, First Meetings, Gen, Little Katrielle, Uncle Desmond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25649998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayDragon/pseuds/DayDragon
Summary: Spoilers for Katrielle's origin.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	Little Lady Layton

Doctor Sycamore sipped his coffee, closing his book. The sunshine tickled his back, and from the look of it, it was past four already. And Layton was _late_. The thought filled him with curiosity. His brother, although messy, was usually on time. The little café was quiet, out-of-the-way, and in walking distance, so that couldn't form a problem. Then what was?

Desmond's watch said fourteen past four. The man's carnelian eyes drifted from his watch to the street, watching people pass. This was far from the first time they had met like this, having slowly reconnected after the events in the Sanctuary. Letters were the only thing connecting them for a while, almost a year in fact. Then, running into each other while he was at Gressenheller, they decided to go get a cup of tea. It was a good decision, Sycamore reflected. Now they were in good contact, always having news to share when they met. Sycamore smiled to himself, curious about his brother's latest adventures.

He was shocked out of his thoughts by the appearance of a top hat in the crowd. Sure enough, Layton appeared, looking around the establishment. Sycamore smiled, waving to him. His hand almost stopped in mid-air when he noticed Layton had a stroller with him.

"Terribly sorry," Layton strode over, tipping his hat. "Flora insisted I help her decide which colour lace to throw. I didn't even know there were so many shades of white."

Sycamore returned the greeting with a nod. "Well, which colour did you settle on?"

"Off-white nearing mint," the man sat down, pulling the stroller so it wasn't in the way. "After much discussion, I might add."

"I can only imagine," Sycamore handed him the menu. "I prefer a slight grey or ivory. It matches so much better with everything when the colour is not sheer white."

The professor smiled, ordering a cup of tea. "Flora told me to thank you for the bobbins, by the way. She loves them, she says they're a joy to throw."

"Ah, good." That comment drew an actual, honest smile to his face. Flora had been shy when he had first met her, but she had really grown since then. "So," he nodded to the stroller.

Layton received his tea, letting it brew. "Ah, yes. I brought a guest, I hope that's alright." he reached into the stroller, lifting out their little companion.

Sycamore's eyes widened at the sight of ginger curls catching the light. Memories of happy laughter, hours upon hours of brushing, braiding, taking care of her. Hers had been chestnut, but when she was little, it looked just like this... 

The little child, he guessed them to be about a year, maybe just a bit less, opened their startling blue eyes. Seeing Layton they smiled wide, reaching out to hug his arm. "Good afternoon, Kat," he murmured, smiling widely. Glancing up at his brother, who appeared shell-shocked, his eyes softened even more. "Meet Katrielle, your niece," he turned the little girl on his knee, holding her close with one arm.

"I..." For once Sycamore didn't know what to say, trying to shake off his memories. "Hershel... Hershel, she looks like Claire." It was his first thought, out of his mouth before he knew it. The sparkling eyes, the hair, even the pointed nose. "Katrielle... Layton?" he asked, composing himself once more.

"Azan," Layton corrected, seeming to glance over the comment about Claire. "Katrielle Azan. She's in my foster care."

Their sweets arrived, two slices of lemon pie. It was the house's speciality, home-made and very tasty. Layton sipped his tea, his smile fading into his serious face. "Luke brought her to my care. Katrielle was born at sea, in the middle of a tempest... A storm that was fatal to the ship as well as her mother. Luke bravely delivered the baby, and her mother instructed him to come to me. Her mother's last name, as far as we know, was Azan, so that's how she's registered."

"Such a story for such a little girl," the doctor wasn't very stunned. After all, Layton's foundlings tended to have a tale- The turncoat, the boy who predicted the future, the girl locked in a tower. "She's been through a lot already."  
  
"Yes, she has," Layton gave the baby her pacifier, letting her sit on his knee and look around. Her piercing eyes met Sycamore's, watching him with curiosity and delight. As he took more and more of her attention, the look changed to a puzzling, thoughtful stare.  
  
The carnelian gleam in the doctor's own eyes softened. "She takes after you," Sycamore remarked after letting a small silence fall. "She has the same gleam in her eyes. Unsatable curiosity, calculating." he reached out for the little one, letting her grab his finger. "It's very nice to meet you, Katrielle."  
  
The little redhead smiled wide, crooning a happy noise and pulling on his finger.  
  
"She likes you," Layton stroked her head. "Would you like to hold her? I do think she'd like that."  
  
"I'd love to." Soon enough he was holding the girl. They looked at each other for a long time, studying the face in front of them. "Hershel," he finally broke the pleasant quiet, "she really _does_ resemble Claire. She's lovely."  
  
Katrielle reached out for his face, smiling wide and making little happy cries. Soon enough she had his glasses firmly in her grasp, almost pulling them off.  
  
"She even wants to start her own little collection of curiosities, huh," Sycamore's smile burst over his face. "She's great. She'll be a fine Layton, won't she."  
  
The professor looked a bit bashful. "I'm hoping," he returned after a moment, "that she will be, yes. I've known her for a year and each day she surprises me. She's a lovely girl."  
  
"I think she's already a Layton, then," Sycamore distracted her from the glasses with his hand.  
  
"... Yes," Layton agreed. "Yes, I think so as well."  
  
  



End file.
